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I'm an idiot and I'm going to buy a piece of excavating equiptment.

infernozx said:
Then there's a little 27d, for $50k. I get that there's hours, and condition differences, but not that many.
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Well shit... I'll sell you my 27d for 40k... I'll even pay shipping.
 
Your plan is all wrong. First thing is do not use your neighbor ls driveway. Your gonna have to pay to put in a new one if you do. This cannot be emphasized enough. Been in the excavation business for my entire life. Driving big equipment on a neighbors asphalt is a big no no.

How I would tackle your project. Start on the back yard as that’s the most difficult to get to. Dump as much good fill off you driveway to build a driveway to get the trucks in the back yard. Fix the back yard then work your way out to the front. If you have a road to the back you’ll have room to park stuff.

Then repair you retaining wall as you’ll gain fill from the over excavation and adding of stone behind the wall . Use that fill to finish bringing up your additional parking spaces.

On a scale of one to ten this is a 8. Your gonna get a education with this one. Good luck.
 
ThePanzerFuhrer said:
Your plan is all wrong. First thing is do not use your neighbor ls driveway. Your gonna have to pay to put in a new one if you do. This cannot be emphasized enough. Been in the excavation business for my entire life. Driving big equipment on a neighbors asphalt is a big no no.

How I would tackle your project. Start on the back yard as that’s the most difficult to get to. Dump as much good fill off you driveway to build a driveway to get the trucks in the back yard. Fix the back yard then work your way out to the front. If you have a road to the back you’ll have room to park stuff.

Then repair you retaining wall as you’ll gain fill from the over excavation and adding of stone behind the wall . Use that fill to finish bringing up your additional parking spaces.

On a scale of one to ten this is a 8. Your gonna get a education with this one. Good luck.
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When the fuhrer says your starting in the deep end of the pool ....... :flipoff2::lmao:

I cant wait to see this thread. I feel like i will learn something even as i jut watch and read the progress
 
Used 27d for $50k?:laughing:​​​​​​
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A brand new cat 303.5 with a full bucket set is $50k

Imo, don't go below the "35" range. Even the cat 303 feels like a toy compared to the 303.5.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
Used 27d for $50k?:laughing:​​​​​​
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A brand new cat 303.5 with a full bucket set is $50k

Imo, don't go below the "35" range. Even the cat 303 feels like a toy compared to the 303.5.
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Hey... hey... HEY!!! I'm working a deal here, dammit... stop jacking it up with facts... :flipoff2:
 
Clemson13 said:
When the fuhrer says your starting in the deep end of the pool ....... :flipoff2::lmao:

I cant wait to see this thread. I feel like i will learn something even as i jut watch and read the progress
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He knows what he's doing and everyone is day drinking and soft trolling.

Only thing he's got right so far is the thread title. He's an idiot and he paid (borrowed) $600k on that property thinking owning more than a riding mower is a smart idea. But he knows it all.

I hope this gets updated but we all know he will never admit his financial loses and dumb decisions.
 
ThePanzerFuhrer said:
Your plan is all wrong. First thing is do not use your neighbor ls driveway. Your gonna have to pay to put in a new one if you do. This cannot be emphasized enough. Been in the excavation business for my entire life. Driving big equipment on a neighbors asphalt is a big no no.

How I would tackle your project. Start on the back yard as that’s the most difficult to get to. Dump as much good fill off you driveway to build a driveway to get the trucks in the back yard. Fix the back yard then work your way out to the front. If you have a road to the back you’ll have room to park stuff.

Then repair you retaining wall as you’ll gain fill from the over excavation and adding of stone behind the wall . Use that fill to finish bringing up your additional parking spaces.

On a scale of one to ten this is a 8. Your gonna get a education with this one. Good luck.
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i appreciate your input and I like the idea... My initial plan was to work from the back yard to the front because as I go I could close up access.

My concern with the truck ramp was that the house has Windows down low.. I didn't think that I could build a suitable ramp for large trucks.

I'm not an expert in trucks though, I've only delt with them once in the last place we owned and they were ok to maneuver into the yard, but couldn't dump when they got there because they were too off level.

My other thought was to build out the drive way, then have the trucks dump from ontop of the driveway, and use a loader/skid steer to move the dirt to where it needs to go.

But I didn't like the idea of a large truck driving ontop of a newly built section of fill/retaining wall that might move.

Hopefully these pictures better display my predicament.

photo13233.jpg


photo13234.jpg
 
infernozx said:
i appreciate your input and I like the idea... My initial plan was to work from the back yard to the front because as I go I could close up access.

My concern with the truck ramp was that the house has Windows down low.. I didn't think that I could build a suitable ramp for large trucks.

I'm not an expert in trucks though, I've only delt with them once in the last place we owned and they were ok to maneuver into the yard, but couldn't dump when they got there because they were too off level.

My other thought was to build out the drive way, then have the trucks dump from ontop of the driveway, and use a loader/skid steer to move the dirt to where it needs to go.

But I didn't like the idea of a large truck driving ontop of a newly built section of fill/retaining wall that might move.

Hopefully these pictures better display my predicament.
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The plan I presented was the I only have one machine plan. If you rent a hoe and buy a skidsteer now that gives you more options.

I would still start in the back as that’s the big challenge. Just have trucks back off your drive and fire it down the hill. Use your skidsteer to bucket or where you want. Get it all raised up in the back and then work on the front parking lot and retaining wall l. Rent a hoe for a week or two and then use it to get the front done.

You hire this out and it shouldn’t be more than a 3 day job. As long as they are just doing the rough work and none of the landscaping. By the looks of the pictures the landscaping isn’t too high on the list lol.

All educations come with a price. Some cost more than others lol.
 
ThePanzerFuhrer said:
You hire this out and it shouldn’t be more than a 3 day job. As long as they are just doing the rough work and none of the landscaping. By the looks of the pictures the landscaping isn’t too high on the list lol.

All educations come with a price. Some cost more than others lol.
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​ LOL

:laughing:
 
Holy Hell, I am ambitious- but no way in hell I would have bought that property. Who ever even built that should be strung up by their fingernails. Why. Just why.

I do everything myself-- hire it out and drink cold beers while you watch it get done.
 
DozerDan82 said:
Holy Hell, I am ambitious- but no way in hell I would have bought that property. Who ever even built that should be strung up by their fingernails. Why. Just why.

I do everything myself-- hire it out and drink cold beers while you watch it get done.
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That is nothing. We put a few houses in spots that would make you go wtf. My dad gets all the challenging basements in town. The builders know he’ll do it right and not end up having problems down the road.

The worst house we did had 24’ of drop where the house sat. The basement floor had 14’ of concrete wall underneath it. That was a project, it took about 2 Long days to backfill and compact to get to the basement floor. Just so the wall guys could stack another 12’ on top of that. When it was all done it was a awesome house on a awesome overlook. The dirtwork and retaining walls cost over 100k on that one :(.
 
Looking at your photos: if you're going to DIY, add replacing neighbor's driveway to the budget.
Otherwise, some heroic work-around will lead to injury, damage, and/or litigation, possibly epic :laughing:

Just my amateur opinion^, feel free to disregard. Definitely listen to ThePanzerFuhrer, though.

Either way, please document the progress. The win thread and/or fail thread await your updates :flipoff2:
 
ThePanzerFuhrer said:
That is nothing. We put a few houses in spots that would make you go wtf. My dad gets all the challenging basements in town. The builders know he’ll do it right and not end up having problems down the road.

The worst house we did had 24’ of drop where the house sat. The basement floor had 14’ of concrete wall underneath it. That was a project, it took about 2 Long days to backfill and compact to get to the basement floor. Just so the wall guys could stack another 12’ on top of that. When it was all done it was a awesome house on a awesome overlook. The dirtwork and retaining walls cost over 100k on that one :(.
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I know it can be done, my point was more of a WTF would you buy that thinking you can do it yourself. That was prob a doable 'over time' job before all the houses were in the way. Now it is just a nightmare. Says the guy looking at buying 8 acres on the side of a mountain :lmao: But at least the house part is cleared already :lmao::smokin:
 
No, you're not crazy. It's the smartest thing you'll ever do. You need a rubber track mini excavator. Seriously.
 
DozerDan82 said:
Holy Hell, I am ambitious- but no way in hell I would have bought that property. Who ever even built that should be strung up by their fingernails. Why. Just why.

I do everything myself-- hire it out and drink cold beers while you watch it get done.
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There's some really neat things about this house, and some real head shakers.

For example... The garage.. is a floating slab on-top of a traditionally framed floor, with a living area underneath it..

Around here it's not that strange, but they buried the edges of the floor without much consideration of waterproofing.

I've just pulled out and replaced all the rim joists that were rotted.

photo13255.jpg


photo13256.jpg
 
DozerDan82 said:
I know it can be done, my point was more of a WTF would you buy that thinking you can do it yourself. That was prob a doable 'over time' job before all the houses were in the way. Now it is just a nightmare. Says the guy looking at buying 8 acres on the side of a mountain :lmao: But at least the house part is cleared already :lmao::smokin:
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We bought thinking.... We can do it.. or not... Doesn't matter..

Now we're at. "We'd like to do it." Mostly for the extra drive way space, but also because we are going to hit an upper limit of increasing the value with a crazy over grown yard...

And you're right. There was a lane between the low properties and us that was available for use until the street was completely done. Previous owners just chose not to do work and the opportunity was missed.
 
I'd be looking at a 308 CAT with a few buckets.


Don't forget a transfer tank for your truck. Diesel cans are for homeowners, you want to look the part, right? (Seriously, transfer tank is the cats ass when you don't have to spill all over).
 
And it will take a 10k+ mini ex to move those blocks and that will be right next to the machine. No booming out
 
Thanks for the thoughts guys.

What are your thoughts on getting a tracked 6000ish lb unit to do the majority of the work, and then renting a much larger machine, or a small crane to deal with the blocks when the time comes?

And is the wheeled back hoe an issue because you can't traverse? So you have to pack up the hoe, shuffle the machine across, and then reset the outriggers? Or is there a different reason why its not suitable?
 
It's not suitable because you are a rookie and the tracked machine is more likely to slide than roll. It's easier to change your weight distribution with a tracked machine also. FWIW, I think you are over your head and underestimating the expertise needed to do what you want done.
 
I keep seeing folks recommending tracks.

I have both a backhoe and a dozer.

Tracked machines, especially a heavy one TEARS UP the ground everywhere it goes, especially grass. A good operator can negate that to an extent, but still.

Also - heavy equipment is kind of a investment meaning that if you get a decent deal and maintain it, you could easily sell it for more than you have in it, or at least not take much of a loss.
 
junkytj said:
It's not suitable because you are a rookie and the tracked machine is more likely to slide than roll. It's easier to change your weight distribution with a tracked machine also. FWIW, I think you are over your head and underestimating the expertise needed to do what you want done.
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I appreciate the info.

Are you saying all three projects are beyond a home-gamers expertice? Or specifically just some of them? My thought was to build experience with the small projects, and then move onto the more technical ones. At least hopefully by the time I get to them I'll either feel a lot more confident, or know that I'm out of my depth and can get some help in.

There's also a guy down the road that's a retired equiptment operator, he was willing to lend his experience for $30/hr if I found a machine.
 
blakes said:
I keep seeing folks recommending tracks.

I have both a backhoe and a dozer.

Tracked machines, especially a heavy one TEARS UP the ground everywhere it goes, especially grass. A good operator can negate that to an extent, but still.

Also - heavy equipment is kind of a investment meaning that if you get a decent deal and maintain it, you could easily sell it for more than you have in it, or at least not take much of a loss.
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Rubber tracks and metal tracks are different animals. A mini ex will tear up ground if it's wet, but tires would too. Also, if you pivot using the bucket on the ground and swing the chassis, it is a lot easier on the ground and the machine.
 
infernozx said:
I appreciate the info.

Are you saying all three projects are beyond a home-gamers expertice? Or specifically just some of them? My thought was to build experience with the small projects, and then move onto the more technical ones. At least hopefully by the time I get to them I'll either feel a lot more confident, or know that I'm out of my depth and can get some help in.

There's also a guy down the road that's a retired equiptment operator, he was willing to lend his experience for $30/hr if I found a machine.
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Your retaining walls already failing is one clue.
This order of operations you are suggesting is another one.
You don't pick projects by technical difficulty in the dirt work world. When you have multiple projects on a site, you start where it makes sense because of the site. Typically, you start where you need to cut because the material is going to be needed elsewhere. You have to plan where you will store the material until you need it. You want to work from the back of the property to the access so you may have to include access work into your order. But retaining walls do not like loaded equipment driving around on them or near their load column. Also your plan needs to consider water runoff. You don't want to have to clean up your material off the property of the next 3 neighbors down the hill.

I am probably leaving some things off, but dirtwork is one of those things that look much more simple than it actually is and mistakes can be really expensive. That combination is not good for the typical homeowner. In true irate fashion, I hope you do it and ignore me as long as you promise to post progress and problems in camarogenius fashion.
 
junkytj said:
Your retaining walls already failing is one clue.
This order of operations you are suggesting is another one.
You don't pick projects by technical difficulty in the dirt work world. When you have multiple projects on a site, you start where it makes sense because of the site. Typically, you start where you need to cut because the material is going to be needed elsewhere. You have to plan where you will store the material until you need it. You want to work from the back of the property to the access so you may have to include access work into your order. But retaining walls do not like loaded equipment driving around on them or near their load column. Also your plan needs to consider water runoff. You don't want to have to clean up your material off the property of the next 3 neighbors down the hill.

I am probably leaving some things off, but dirtwork is one of those things that look much more simple than it actually is and mistakes can be really expensive. That combination is not good for the typical homeowner. In true irate fashion, I hope you do it and ignore me as long as you promise to post progress and problems in camarogenius fashion.
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I'll keep posting as long as I'm learning something.

And really there's only one or two people here I'm ignoring.

I went to look at a cat/Mitsubishi MA20. It smoked and the bushings were pretty floppy, but I couldn't find any information online about it. Both CAT and Mitsubishi said it didn't exist. Then it sold before I got back to the guy.

I'm going to look at a Yanmar YB25 this week.

Neighbor guy looked at my land. Suggested working from the back to the front as well. He said he'd walk the machine down to the bottom of the yard for me and then I can dig my way out.

Also suggested a ramp, which will be steep but drivable in a 4wd, and skipping the switchbacks.
 
While I have no recommendations for equipment, I will say this. Don't let these guys scare you. Buy something and give it a try. You will probably come out ahead. I'll bet you find a few other jobs for what ever you buy.
 
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